


A Dream Remains

by RavenHearted



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dreams, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 14:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4880359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenHearted/pseuds/RavenHearted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite losing the mark, Lavellan's dreams still seem so real. Post-Trespasser drabble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Dream Remains

**Author's Note:**

> That ending inspired me to write something super cheesy. Because I totally needed to feel more sad about it.

One blink, and Lavellan was lost in a place dark and unknown.

Dense fog hung over the ground like a shroud, clouds fallen from the sky now floating just inches above the untrodden soil. Trees, wide and towering, were abundant in this forest. Overhead, the canopy of leaves and branches blocked out the full moon, allowing only the smallest beams of light to shine through. The air smelled of peat after the rains, thick with moisture. Large spires of thorny felandaris twisted this way and that, reaching, stretching for something unseen. Nothing could be seen for miles other than the shadows of ancient trees, hidden behind walls of fog.

One boot sunk into moist, muddy soil, letting droplets of water fly this way and that. Aryll tugged her cloak closer about her person in an attempt to chase away the chill that crept up her spine. This place was unfamiliar, heavy with a feeling of deep melancholy, so far different than the woodlands of her youth. There was nothing to suggest anyone had been here other than her. The ground before her lay clean of footprints, man and beast alike, untouched for millennia.

Her limbs felt heavy in the stagnant air as she walked. Wet twigs snapped beneath her boots, the only sound. Not even the chirping of crickets or the fluttering of nocturnal birds could be heard. Had she stumbled upon a lost world, frozen, free of the ravages of time? With her hand, she reached up and touched the bark of a tree, feeling the rough texture beneath her glove. The branches were so high up, there was no reaching them. With a frown, she regarded what remained of her left arm, a constant reminder that she could no longer climb as she used to.

She continued to explore this strange forest, ducking below felandaris spines and stepping over puddles of standing water. It was unwise to walk alone through the wilds at night. At least, that was what her hunter’s sense told her. For whatever reason, Aryll could not remember why she had come here, let alone without a companion or two at her side. A part of her longed to hear bickering from behind; perhaps a complaint about the cold or a snide remark on someone’s appearance. It was an ache that left her feeling empty, perhaps as empty as this forest.

As she rounded a corner, resolute on finding civilization or at least a decent camping spot, she heard the lightest touch of some creature’s feet against the damp soil. Her eyes scanned the area, dimly lit by the faint moonlight. At first, she saw nothing, and began to wonder if she had imagined it out of her own loneliness. But then, just barely, she saw the silhouette of something in the distance standing, watching her. It was large, covered in a coat of fur. A wolf, perhaps, or some other kind of canine.

She eyed it warily, meeting its stony gaze. “Oh, hello,” Aryll greeted. Her voice felt muted by the heavy air. “Are you alone too?”

For a moment, Aryll feared her words wouldn’t reach it. Only the twitch of one pointed ear told her that it heard. There was something familiar in its eyes.  Warm, gentle, and yet, sorrowful; it made her lonely heart ache even more.

“This place is so odd. Maybe we could travel together?" Her words were muffled as though she were speaking through a wall. She knew it was simply a wild animal, nothing more. Even if it heard, it would not understand. Still, she would welcome the companionship. She glanced up at the sky, visible only through the tree branches. Where the moon once hung low, the sky began to lighten from black to golden yellow.

**  
**The wolf watched her, sunken as if burdened by some terrible weight. Aryll thought she saw a brief flicker of relief in its eyes at her words. It blinked twice and took two hesitant steps forward. She afforded it a soft, welcoming smile, hope rising with the sun. But the dark still clung to its pelt, a weight refusing to be lifted. Its sides heaved with a great, heavy sigh and it raised its head to shout a mournful howl to the heavens. Then, with one final, sad glance, it turned and ran off into the night. **  
**

Aryll reached out with her hand and cried, “Wait! It doesn’t have to be this way!”

Water splashed around her boots as she ran in the direction it left, stumbling and cursing her lack of balance. It felt as if she were running without truly going anywhere. She passed the same trees, along the same paths, with no end in sight. The shadows covered the tracks of the wolf and the thick fog ensured that it all but vanished. The thorns grazed the cloth of her cloak, catching and tearing. _“Please!”_ she cried into the abyss, “ _Come back!”_

A few wet tears slid down her face, sliding down her neck as she ran. Her pleading words caught in her throat. Her chest heaved with each laborious breath. Her knees slammed on the ground as she fell, sobbing and suffocating.

Aryll flew up in her bed, gasping for air. Cool night air filled her lungs, flowing in from an open window. Never quite accustomed to sleeping indoors, she always left the windows open, allowing a breeze (and occasionally a bird) to blow into her bedchamber. A full moon sat in the black, starry sky, shining light into her room and casting long shadows on the floor.

She sat up in her bed, trying to control her breathing and her pounding heartbeat. A dream. It was just a dream, nothing more. The mark had made her dreams so vivid, so real. It was gone now, but the dreams remained to haunt her. The cool, wintery air from outside made her feel a wet chill on her face. With her one hand, she reached up and brushed the remains of tears from beneath her eyes. It had been a dream, but…

Her green eyes stared out at the moon, and beneath it, the wide expanse of the snowy mountaintops. Her lips formed the words from her dream, a silent plea, a prayer, even if he couldn’t hear it. _Please, come back._


End file.
